Methods Reducing Antenna Port Interference for Epdcch and Related Systems, Devices, and Networks

1. A method of operating a base station in a radio access network, the method comprising: configuring first and second control channel sets with respective first and second antenna port, AP, configurations for a wireless terminal using control channel signaling transmitted to the wireless terminal; transmitting first reference signals to the wireless terminal according to the first antenna port configuration; and transmitting second reference signals to the wireless terminal according to the second antenna port configuration, wherein configuring the first control channel set comprises configuring a first distributed control channel set with the first antenna port configuration defining a first pair of antenna ports, and wherein configuring the second control channel set comprises configuring a second distributed control channel set with the second antenna port configuration defining a second pair of antenna ports different than the first pair of antenna ports.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first and second distributed control channel sets overlap.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first pair of antenna ports comprise first and second antenna ports, wherein the second pair of antenna ports comprise third and fourth antenna ports, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth antenna ports are all different antenna ports.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first distributed control channel set is distributed across a first plurality of physical resource blocks, and wherein the second distributed control channel set is distributed across a second plurality of resource blocks wherein at least one resource block of the second plurality is overlapping with at least one resource block of the first plurality of resource blocks.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising: configuring a third distributed control channel set with the first antenna port configuration for the wireless terminal using control channel signaling transmitted to the wireless terminal, wherein the first and third distributed control channel sets are non-overlapping, and wherein the second and third distributed control channel sets are non-overlapping; and transmitting third reference signals to the wireless terminal according to the first antenna port configuration.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first and second reference signals are transmitted using different resource elements.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein configuring the first control channel set comprises configuring a first localized control channel set with the first antenna port configuration defining a first antenna port, and wherein configuring the second control channel set comprises configuring a second localized control channel set with the second antenna port configuration defining a second antenna port different than the first antenna port.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the first and second localized control channel sets at least partially overlap.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the first and second localized control channel sets use a single physical resource block pair.

10. A method of operating a wireless terminal in communication with a radio access network, the method comprising: responsive to control channel signaling received from the radio access network, configuring first and second control channel sets with respective first and second antenna port, AP, configurations for the wireless terminal; receiving first reference signals from the radio access network to the first antenna port configuration; and receiving second reference signals from the radio access network according to the second antenna port configuration, wherein configuring the first control channel set comprises configuring a first distributed control channel set with the first antenna port configuration defining a first pair of antenna ports, and wherein configuring the second control channel set comprises configuring a second distributed control channel set with the second antenna port configuration defining a second pair of antenna ports different than the first pair of antenna ports.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first and second distributed control channel sets overlap.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first pair of antenna ports comprise first and second antenna ports, wherein the second pair of antenna ports comprise third and fourth antenna ports, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth antenna ports are all different antenna ports.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first distributed control channel set is distributed across a first plurality of physical resource blocks, and wherein the second distributed control channel set is distributed across a second plurality of resource blocks wherein at least one resource block of the second plurality is overlapping with at least one resource block of the first plurality of resource blocks.

14. The method according to claim 10 further comprising: responsive to control channel signaling received from the radio access network, configuring a third distributed control channel set with the first antenna port configuration, wherein the first and third distributed control channel sets are non-overlapping, and wherein the second and third distributed control channel sets are non-overlapping; and receiving third reference signals from the radio access network according to the first antenna port configuration.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first and second reference signals are received using different resource elements.